Network.

Get in touch.

The most useful iPhone SE features.

Last updated:
9 September 2016

Back in March, Apple released a version of their now-iconic iPhone range that shocked and delighted fans of previous models. iPhone SE, meaning ‘special edition’, marries most of the amazing functionality of the revolutionary iPhone 6 with the beloved and often pined-for design of iPhone 5s.

Small phone fanatics around the world were delighted with this new, nostalgic addition to iPhone roster, but many have been left wondering if sacrifices have to be made in order to enjoy this smaller look and feel. Luckily, there are some incredible iPhone SE features that far outstrip its lookalike models, meaning that if you’re transitioning from a 5 or 5s, you’ll really feel the difference...

Here are just a few that might get you salivating for an iPhone SE upgrade…

Under-the-hood henchness.

Anyone who has gone from using an iPhone 6S to one of the earlier 4 or 5 models will notice one thing: speed.

Apple has worked tirelessly to create some pretty jaw-dropping technology which means that when you yawningly scroll from app to app every morning, there’s no freezing or loading times. Aren’t you lucky?

The internal wheels and cogs of iPhone SE are so powerful compared to its size that it has been likened to a Formula 1 racecar. The in-house developed A9 system contains 1.8Ghz, a 64-bit dual-core processor (the first of its kind) and a PowerVR Series 7XT graphics engine, with 2GB of memory. You don’t have to understand what that means in order to be impressed: basically it’s stacked, despite being small.

Apple knows that pictures (especially selfies...) are important to iPhone users, and under the hood there’s some really clever technology to ensure the camera is top-notch. Phase adjust focusing allows you to take really sharp photos in quick succession, and deep trench isolation prevents the pixels from bleeding into each other and ruining the accuracy of the photo. And with Live Photos as a standard option, these can be brought to life with the touch of a finger.

So, to answer your unspoken question: yes, you can still take flawless high resolution pictures of your friends, family, cats and perfectly presented dinners.

Battery life.

We’ll keep this short but sweet - any battery bugbears out there can rest assured that Apple has improved the battery tenfold, including all the updates to other phone models. In theory you’ll now have 14 hours’ talk time / 13 hours of internet and video playback / 50 hours’ audio and 10 days of standby. That’s surely enough time, even if you spend most of the day on the phone to your LDR other half.

iOS 9 benefits.

Updating to the latest iOS on earlier models can sometimes be problematic as these days software updates are designed for newer phones, and the file size can slow things down or cause crashing. Consider iPhone SE a fresh start, arriving with the super slick, beautifully designed iOS 9 built in. This includes very cool features like Touch ID (and, by default, Apple Pay) and Night Shift, which automatically changes the warmth of the colour of your screen depending on the time of day. It also means that any later iOS releases for the next iPhone will be able to run smoothly on your new handset without any problems.

The design.

Of course, this is surely iPhone SE’s biggest draw. The more rectangular design of iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 models has always been popular, and since the change to the significantly larger, thinner, curvier iPhone 6 models, many people have longed for ‘the good old days’. iPhone SE provides a more convenient, but still up-to-date, phone for enthusiasts of the small design. At 4 inches, with a 16.9 aspect ratio, 1136x640 resolution, 326 ppi display, and the memorable chamfered edges, it’s just like the old phones, but all grown up. Plus, it comes in rose gold, so you can reap the benefits of the iPhone's most fashionable colour, but just in a way that’s comfortable for small hands / tiny pockets.